Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties
Sustainable fertilization techniques are essential in Mediterranean farming systems, where the depletion of organic matter, influencing soil water and nutrient availability, is becoming an increasing concern. In this context, organic fertilizers offer an effective strategy to restore soil fertility...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/135 |
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| author | Liliana Gaeta Luigi Tarricone Alessandro Persiani Angelo Fiore Francesco Montemurro Daniela De Benedetto Carolina Vitti Pasquale Campi Mariangela Diacono |
| author_facet | Liliana Gaeta Luigi Tarricone Alessandro Persiani Angelo Fiore Francesco Montemurro Daniela De Benedetto Carolina Vitti Pasquale Campi Mariangela Diacono |
| author_sort | Liliana Gaeta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sustainable fertilization techniques are essential in Mediterranean farming systems, where the depletion of organic matter, influencing soil water and nutrient availability, is becoming an increasing concern. In this context, organic fertilizers offer an effective strategy to restore soil fertility while reducing environmental impacts. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of different organic fertilizers on soil quality and tree performance in a sweet cherry (<i>Prunus avium</i> L.) orchard. This study was conducted in two growing seasons (2021–2022) in an organic orchard in Southern Italy, comparing four treatments: (i) compost, (ii) compost combined with compost tea, (iii) mixed manure, and (iv) an unfertilized control. The results indicated that compost tea, applied both to the soil and as a foliar spray, significantly improved tree water status, particularly under water stress conditions, as reflected by more negative stem water potential values. Moreover, this treatment enhanced photosynthetic performance, yield, and fruit quality, achieving the highest ratio of soluble solids content/total acidity. The findings suggest that compost tea, in combination with compost, could be a sustainable and valuable fertilization option for Mediterranean organic tree orchards. However, further studies are necessary to understand the benefits of other fruit orchards as well as the long-term effects on soils. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-42c1379d67e64c47b951ad746d2dd371 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-42c1379d67e64c47b951ad746d2dd3712025-01-24T13:16:52ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115113510.3390/agronomy15010135Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil PropertiesLiliana Gaeta0Luigi Tarricone1Alessandro Persiani2Angelo Fiore3Francesco Montemurro4Daniela De Benedetto5Carolina Vitti6Pasquale Campi7Mariangela Diacono8CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, 70010 Turi, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, 70125 Bari, ItalySustainable fertilization techniques are essential in Mediterranean farming systems, where the depletion of organic matter, influencing soil water and nutrient availability, is becoming an increasing concern. In this context, organic fertilizers offer an effective strategy to restore soil fertility while reducing environmental impacts. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of different organic fertilizers on soil quality and tree performance in a sweet cherry (<i>Prunus avium</i> L.) orchard. This study was conducted in two growing seasons (2021–2022) in an organic orchard in Southern Italy, comparing four treatments: (i) compost, (ii) compost combined with compost tea, (iii) mixed manure, and (iv) an unfertilized control. The results indicated that compost tea, applied both to the soil and as a foliar spray, significantly improved tree water status, particularly under water stress conditions, as reflected by more negative stem water potential values. Moreover, this treatment enhanced photosynthetic performance, yield, and fruit quality, achieving the highest ratio of soluble solids content/total acidity. The findings suggest that compost tea, in combination with compost, could be a sustainable and valuable fertilization option for Mediterranean organic tree orchards. However, further studies are necessary to understand the benefits of other fruit orchards as well as the long-term effects on soils.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/135compost teaEMI mapsoil water contentorganic cultivationproductivitysoluble solids content |
| spellingShingle | Liliana Gaeta Luigi Tarricone Alessandro Persiani Angelo Fiore Francesco Montemurro Daniela De Benedetto Carolina Vitti Pasquale Campi Mariangela Diacono Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties Agronomy compost tea EMI map soil water content organic cultivation productivity soluble solids content |
| title | Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties |
| title_full | Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties |
| title_short | Sustainable Fertilization of Organic Sweet Cherry to Improve Physiology, Quality, Yield, and Soil Properties |
| title_sort | sustainable fertilization of organic sweet cherry to improve physiology quality yield and soil properties |
| topic | compost tea EMI map soil water content organic cultivation productivity soluble solids content |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/135 |
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